Tag: fear

1,370 words

I have always cherished the pretense of Halloween. Regardless of its pagan origins in Europe as a harvest celebration, the event I have always known presents an exciting chance for children to dress up and pretend, and for adults to play along. The candy and trick-or-treating is important, of course, but secondary, in my opinion, to the spectacle of it all. As a child, deciding what I would be for Halloween each year took a great deal of thought and preparation (for several years, my mother had insisted we make our own costumes from scratch — a fun and productive exercise). (more…)

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Invaders from Mars is a sci-fi film said to encompass all of the paranoia of the 1950s. Director Cameron Menzies realizes this film as the horror of a child trapped in a nightmare. David MacLean (Jimmy Hunt), wakened by horrific thunder, looks outside his window and sees a flying saucer land and submerge itself underground. (more…)

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David Lynch’s second feature film, The Elephant Man (1980), is one of his finest works. In many ways, The Elephant Man is Lynch’s most conventional “Hollywood” film. (Dune too is a “Hollywood” film, but a failed one.) The cast of The Elephant Man is quite distinguished, including John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Sir John Gielgud, Dame Wendy Hiller, and Anne Bancroft. The film was produced by Mel Brooks, who left his name off so that people would not expect a comedy. (more…)